I’ve tooted my horn about how we don’t really get sick anymore… and so of course, we get hit with a bacterial infection – and of course, NasTea works against viral, not bacterial infections.
I’ll figure this one out just like the rest of them. In the meantime, it’s not a fun ride. Here’s the overview:
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae is a bacteria that is known as “viral like.” It’s one of the smallest bacteria, and has an amorphous cellular shape – no cell wall. It works primarily within the invaded cell (as opposed to the bloodstream) and is incredibly difficult to dislodge. It uses a unique toxin called CARDS (Community Acquired Respiratory Distress Syndrome) that, if you’re into this level of technicality, contains a mono-ADP ribosyltransferase (mART) domain that peforms mono-ADP ribosylation on your cells – i.e. kills or hurts them. CARDS toxin is what makes you feel bleh and achy. (It actually produces several toxins, but CARDS is the primary weapon).
The lack of cell wall, plus how small this bacteria is, plus the fact that it primarily operates within the cell, makes it virtually immune to drug antibiotics. Antibiotics typically work by disabling or disintegrating the offending cell walls, which of course is impossible in this case.
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae was identified long ago (1930s). However, in 1991, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology cultured a particularly nasty mutation from an AIDS patient and patented it – for research purposes only, of course. In 2009, it was found that MP was quickly mutating to become even more antibiotic resistant, and, around 2010, it was discovered that MP was producing biofilms (i.e. buildup of dead bacteria that protects the live bacteria underneath, shielding it from antibiotics or your immune system).
The reason it’s colloquially called “walking pneumonia” is that MP causes a low-level infection of the lungs or mucosal tissue, as opposed to a full-blast kill-you-soon infection. The infection is particularly clingy – and, since it’s low level, your body doesn’t exercise nuclear options to eliminate it. A quick perusal of reddit shows people who tell about having walking pneumonia for over a year. It’s fairly common to hear about someone who’s had walking pneumonia for over a month.
On that note: another fun feature of a bacterial infection (as opposed to viral infections) – they can return at any time. Several of my kids appeared to get better, and went back down at least 3x.
In terms of symptoms, see the below chart:
*image taken from Mycoplasma Pneumoniae infection: basics
Note that MP will likely cause clear snot – not green or solid snot as would be typical with a bacterial infection. This is originally what threw me for a loop – I couldn’t figure out what the infection was, because it wasn’t responding to antivirals, but everyone had a bunch of snot and it was all running clear.
So, take a step back here, and think about what you need to be doing:
- Find the right antibacterial: I didn’t find the right one, but I tried alot: barberry root, cloves, raw honey, fennel, etc. – no obvious choice that I found.
- Focus on eliminating toxins: no CARDS toxin = no bacterial spread, and no symptoms.
So, what’s the solution? I haven’t found a smoking gun, but I’ve found a few items that have been incredibly helpful:
- Apple Cider Vinegar: I woke up several times in the middle of the night, feeling the inevitable sore throat coming on. I went downstairs, gargled ACV – never got a sore throat. Ideally, if I’d known that this was a bacterial infection from the beginning, I would have had everyone gargle ACV every morning and night – I’m guessing that would have blocked it!
- Watch the hurting chest: some of the kids, the only symptom was hurting chest – and some of them (not our kids, but their cousins) confirmed pneumonia via a scan with that as the only symptom.
- Raw honey: the best cough syrup.
- DMSO + colloidal silver: DMSO is a CHAMP against bacterial infections, especially against biofilms. Experiment where you’re topically applying it, because different spots will hit differently (try to get as close as you can to your infection). I also had good luck using DMSO + essential oil (I used peppermint).
- Vitamin C overdosing – 500mg of Vitamin C every half hour or so. Some people it really really helps, some people, meh.
- Niacin flush: for some reason, I had REALLY good luck with a Niacin flush. I’m not sure how or why – but it definitely helped.
- Sauna: sauna helps everything – especially when it’s all about eliminating toxins. If possible, I’d sauna 2x daily, short sauna. Did I actually do that? No, but I wish I could have!
- DO use immune-boosters: Echinacea, elderberry, astragalus, etc. (careful if there’s pregnancy or breastfeeding involved)
- Fasting: consider fasting
- Hot bath: so good to reset
- Hot pad: good to keep things flowing – around the neck, on the spine, etc.
- Vitamin D: strongly recommend using lanolin-based vitamin D drops.
- Homeopathy: get a hold of someone who knows how to use it – MP gave me nasty jaw and teeth pain due to an existing cavitation, and the only thing that kicked it was the homeopathic protocol – which is nice, because cavitations can get out of hand or even progress to a fatality.
- Obviously ours happened in the winter, but if this were the summer, I’d get alot of sunlight, and eat Dandelion leaves.
Hopefully at some point, this article will be updated with a triumphant discovery of XYZ that blocks or beats Mycoplasma Pneumoniae. Not today. But hopefully what’s here is helpful.
